News Blog

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre reported the seizure of $50,000.00 of cocaine and nearly $2,000 in cash during a drug bust in the Thibodaux area on Monday, April 16, 2012. Hakeam Drane (B/M, D.O.B. 06/09/90) of 113 Octavia Street in Thibodaux and Breiana Gant (B/F, D.O.B. 02/26/92) of 323 Martin Luther King Drive in Patterson were both arrested and face a number of charges stemming from the incident.

On Monday evening, LPSO Patrol Deputies were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 2400 block of Talbot Avenue in Thibodaux after receiving a call regarding a suspicious man knocking on several different apartment doors. Upon arrival, deputies learned the man was not a tenant of the complex and proceeded to the apartment where he was last seen. They knocked several times before he finally emerged, and deputies noticed a female, later identified as Breiana Gant, was also inside the apartment. When asked for his identification, the man led deputies to his vehicle where his I.D. was located, and he was identified as Hakeam Drane. Deputies noticed Drane to be acting nervously and backing away from them. During a subsequent search, deputies recovered a rifle round, two ounces of suspected crack cocaine, and $1,958.00 in cash, all collected from Dranes person. Drane had pulled away from deputies during the search in an attempt to escape, but he was quickly detained.

Lafourche Parish Drug Task Force Agents, including agents from the Lafourche Parish Sheriffs Office and Thibodaux Police Department, were called to the scene for assistance. A preliminary field test of the suspected crack cocaine produced a negative result, and Drane stated suspected narcotics were fake. After a K-9 officer alerted for the presence of narcotics inside Dranes vehicle, agents conducted a search and recovered a small amount of marijuana and a handgun from inside the vehicle.

After obtaining a search warrant for the apartment where Drane was found, agents recovered 505 gross grams of suspected cocaine (446 gross grams of suspected cocaine and 59 gross grams of suspected crack cocaine) with a total street value of approximately $50,000.00. Agents also located another handgun, ammunition, a digital scale and packaging material. Meanwhile, agents learned Breiana Gant had fled from the apartment and had been hiding at another apartment inside the complex. After finding and detaining Gant, agents also performed a search of her vehicle wherein a small amount of marijuana was found.

Through investigation, agents learned that Drane had been producing cocaine as well as counterfeit cocaine prior to their arrival. Agents also learned that while deputies were outside with Drane, he had been sending text messages to Gant advising her to get rid of the items he was using in the production. Agents also learned that both handguns were each reported stolen. One was reported stolen in Vermillion Parish, while the other was reported in St. Tammany Parish.

Drane was charged with Manufacturing of a Schedule II Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS), Manufacturing Counterfeit Schedule II CDS, Possession with the Intent to Distribute a Schedule II CDS, two counts of Possession of a Stolen Firearm, Illegal Carrying of a Weapon in the presence of a CDS, Possession of a Firearm with Obliterated Serial Numbers (Unidentifiable Firearm), Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Resisting an Officer. He was booked into the Lafourche Parish Detention Center in Thibodaux where he remains in lieu of $470,000.00 bond as set by Judge John E. Leblanc.

Gant, meanwhile, was charged with Principal to Manufacturing of a Schedule II CDS, Possession of Marijuana and Obstruction of Justice. She was released Wednesday afternoon on $70,000.00 bond as had been set by Judge Leblanc.

Sheriff Webre commended Lafourche Parish Drug Task Force Agents and LPSO Patrol Deputies for a job well done. “This incident shows that there is no such thing as a ‘routine’ call for deputies,” said Sheriff Webre. “What began as a disturbance complaint resulted in the seizure of tens of thousands of dollars in illegal narcotics as well as the removal of another drug dealer from our streets.”